By Yi Wei Wong


Shares of Macau-based casinos are trading higher in Hong Kong following news that China will loosen some testing and quarantine requirements that have curbed visitation to the region for more than two years.

Wynn Macau Ltd. is up 13% in Tuesday afternoon trade, while Sands China Ltd. adds 12.5% and SJM Holdings Ltd. rises 9.7%. MGM China Holdings Ltd., Melco International Development Ltd. and Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. are up 8.4%, 9.1% and 8.3%, respectively.

The gains come after China's National Health Commission said it will shorten the country's quarantine period for international travelers to 10 days from 21 days and loosen testing requirements for people in quarantine.

Industry analysts say that any easing of China's zero-tolerance approach to Covid brightens the outlook for Macau's casino sector, which has been hit hard by low visitation during the pandemic. The Asian gambling hub recently imposed stricter Covid-19 rules amid a local outbreak of the virus, leading several analysts to lower their forecasts for gross gaming revenue in June.


Write to Yi Wei Wong at yiwei.wong@wsj.com


(END) Dow Jones Newswires

06-28-22 0411ET